There are many challenges on the road for the enthusiastic cyclist: steep hills, sharp descents, cross winds, head winds, rain, excessive heat, etc, etc. To some extent one can prepare for these by adequate training, having the right type of bike, looking after said bike, having the right clothing, eating and drinking enough of the right kind of thing and so on. Some things are harder, sometimes impossible, to anticipate and so require the ability to improvise and make on the spot decision about the best way to proceed. Road closures and road works fall into this category. Also, wasps!
Now I suppose it could be argued that each day we could have looked at the route and searched the internet for signs of road closures but we didn’t and we nearly came unstuck on the way to second lunch on the third day. We were planning to eat in a large grassy area at the back of the Half Moon pub, Stoke St Mary. However, every which way we went we hit diversions and road works. The support vehicles made several runs at the target seeing it in the distance but not being able to get to it. Eventually, after much stress and just a tad of bad language, we all managed to arrive at the right spot.
The weather was still extremely hot and so I decided to supplement my calorie intake gained from the bread rolls provided by Julia and Mary, with a pint of bitter shandy obtained from the pub. Having procured my desired drink, I headed out of the bar and back to the others: instantly the little yellow and black bastards put in an appearance. My daughter Naomi once asked her mother, “why did God invent wasps?” She received the reply, “I don’t know, ask your father, he’s the Theologian”. To which Naomi retorted, “He won’t know”. A good question from my daughter which received a reasonable reply from her mother but left me feeling that perhaps I was something of an inadequate theologian. I don’t know why God invented wasps but as far as I am concerned, He should have left this particular idea at the planning stage.
Now I should explain. I was cycling across Wimbledon Common one day and one of the little buggers flew in my mouth and stung me. I fell off my bike whilst trying to spit the little brat out and shortly after remounting started to feel extremely ill and had broken out in a rash from head to toe. I managed to make it to the nearest A & E and passed out as I was explaining what had happen. When I awoke, I discovered that I had been pumped full of anti-histamines and adrenaline intravenously. I have carried an EpiPen ever since. So, the attention I received that afternoon, as I quaffed my pint, was not welcome and somewhat anxiety provoking. However, stating the bleeding obvious, I survived. If I had not you wouldn’t be reading this blog.
Refreshed from second lunch, we headed off to our final destination for the day, “Withy Cottages”, just outside Langport. Again, we had some difficulty finding them and went to the wrong cottage at the first attempt. When we found the right ones, they turned out to be quaint and charming. Ollie did some bike maintenance on all the bikes and the Julia and Mary cooked a delicious chicken curry for the team and a veggie curry for Adam.
Into Wales tomorrow, it’s bound to rain! Oh, great the weather forecast confirmed that it would. Well I guess that will suit Scott at least.
Ezekiel's Wheels 